The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-02-17

| the female mind of sweetness, hope and
| constaucy. When to the flowers pair OF
doves is added, there is still stronger sug-
gest!on of bliss and affection.
| The dove was one OF the pet rds OF
Venus, and is very appropriately mes
| seuger of love- A very expressive valen-
tine then shows one of these birds of Venus
carrying in its bill message of love on a
| silver leaf.
A still more striking and symbolical il
| lustration is that furnished by two united
hearts bleeding beneath the gentle punct-
ure Of an arrow.
| The counterfeit presentment of lovely
woman, supposed to bear a strong re-
/ sem blance to the lady whose grace is
sought is delicate mode of conveying a
/ lovers idea of the loneliness of the lady,
! and his disposition to be placed forever
beneath her spell.
| And so throu n all the varying forms of
p ctorial art, melted by love, genius por-
| trays the story of the universal passion.
! Instead of dropping into poetry, the Muse
of Valentines Day is often times content
with an expressive saying or motto. No lady
could surely find it in her heart to look IN
kindly on one who wishes her ''health and
happiness" or who sends her pictured
wreath inscribed with the words ''friend
|
like responding, she can not but be fiat
tered, where the swain adds: II am thine
! forever" or ''fondly love thee"
Thus by means of pictorial symbol as
well as more directly, the lover need never
be at loss how best to utilize this lovers
day-the day OF days. Art has never looked
with GOODNESS upon valentines and some
| illustrations have been made for them
which are gems.
| There have been valentines that sold for
fifty dollars, but some remarkably tine
ones are soil for five and ten dollars, and
ranging downward in price to fifty cents
It is said sometimes that the sending Of
valentines as custom is dying out, but
this is by no means the case. Post-off1ce
returns from the large cities show if any
thing that the custom is increasing. Last
year in New York City from two TO three
huairo1 thous md valentines were deliv-
cred by the postmcn in Philadelphia near
~ as many, an !. in Chicago over one hun
dred thousanl. In London nearly a mill
ion were delivered, and this was an in
| crease on former years.
In Chicago year Or two ago, one gentle
man, a bank teller, received five hundred
va,ent nes. 1t is more than likely that the
great mass of them were of the comic
order, sent by persons who had probably
been annoyed in some way by him, and who
took this means of calling the young man
| to order. When such an avalanche Of sup
posed looking glasses falls on one person,
it is very PROD able that decided reform
Of some Objectionable manner will be ef-
fected. But the comic valentine has
properly no pace in the day. 1t is a base
born intruder, which unde a mask wreaks
vengeance or spite. 1t belongs no more
to Valentines Day than it does to~any
other holiday.
One Of the most pl aasing passages in the
biography Of Lord Macaulay is an extract
from his diary describing his sen1i ng q
valentine to his little nice, Alice Every
year he sent her one, but this particular
time is described at length. February II
he buys superb sh e. of paper and writes
the valentine. February IL he sends it of
to his sister at Brighton to be forwarded.
! February IA tho whole entry of the day is
about tho valentine. How the children
came, Alice in perfect raptures, and
strongly suspectjng that her uncle sent it.
When they were alonc together, she said
she was going 10 be very serious, and get
ting down on her knees she lifted up her
hands IN supplication, saying: "Dear
uncle, do tell the truth to your little girl
Did you send tho valentncP He could
evade the question no longer, but owned
up to it to the chill's increased delight
May all good overs con- nue. to enjoy the
feast of good Sa Mt Vaient he.